Kotkaniemi Moves On; Coyotes GM Loved Dvorak

«It is truly hard to say goodbye to Montreal. I have experienced the best years of my life thus far in one of the world's greatest hockey cities and will always cherish the past three years,» Kotkaniemi posted on his Instagram account.

«At the end, when I think of the whole journey over there, I think it was a good run,» he said. «There are ups and downs every time. I think that's normal, I made some really good friends over there on the team and off the ice too. I have really good things to say about them,»

«Feeling the confidence and that the team is trusting you, it's always good for the player, «I felt the confidence from the first second from Carolina, so that feels good. It feels really good when someone is trusting you.»

GM Hurricanes GM Waddell:

«Jesperi Kotkaniemi is a player who has been on our radar since before his draft year,» Waddell said. The Hurricanes had several interviews with Kotkaniemi before his NHL career.

«We believe he will flourish in Rod Brind'Amour‘s system and culture, and he will be an important piece of what we are building in Carolina for years to come,» added Waddell. Kotkaniemi is starting the season playing left wing because of the center depth.

GM Coyotes Bill Armstrong

«Christian had a lot of value,» Armstrong said, «not only for our club but also on the open market because centers, this year, seem to be hard to find. So, we tried to maximize that.»

Dvorak is leaving the Coyotes organization on good terms. «First off, I want to say what a classy person Dvorak is,» Armstrong said, «not only on the ice, but off the ice, and how he handled the trade news when I told him.»

''He was the first on the ice and last off, always around here training during the summer. He really helped this organization grow,» added Armstrong.